Reversing mechanism for engines.



c. J. PETERSON. REVERSINQ MECHANISM FOR ENGINES. AFPLIOATION IILED MAY 26, 1908.

Patented Dec. 29, 1908.

2 QHEETS-SHEET 1.

PVITNE SSESi' I I I fNVE/VTOR 0. J. PETERSON. REVERSING MECHANISM FOR ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 26, 1908.

Patented Dec. 29, 1908,,

-2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

R .m m W j WITNESSES Alfomey I unrrnn STATES ATENT our;

REVEBSING IMECHANISM'. FOR ENGINES.

Specification oi Letters Patent.

Patented. Dec. 29, 1908.

Application filed May 26, 1908. Serial No. 435,051.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES J. PETERSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Point Richmond, in the county of Contra Costa and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reversing Mechanisms for Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to internal combustion motors and involves novel improvements including peculiar starting and reversing mechanism.

The invention also aims to increase materially the power of the explosive engine, under certain conditions of service, by utilizing in connection therewith a ressure medium acting upon the pistons o' the cylinders to return the same tosthe exploslve ends of said cylinders after the power stroke is completed. The controlling means whereby the said pressure medium is admitted to the cylinders is of such a nature as to also govern the starting and reversing-of the motor, constituting the novel mechanism before referred to. v

For a full understanding of the invention,

. including the merits and advantages thereof,

reference is to be had to the following detail description, and to the accompanying drawings, in which:

l lgure 1 ma side elevatlon of an engine embodying the invention; Fig. 2 1s a vertical sectional view taken through one of the cylinders of the engine; Fi 3 is a detail section of the auxiliary valves controlling the supply of compressed air to the reservoir therefor; and liig. 4 is a detail section on the line 474 of Big. 1 looking in the direction ofthe arrow.

- Corresponding and .likeparts are referred to throughout the description and drawings by similar reference characters.

Specifically describing the invention, and

referring to the drawings particularly, the engine shown is ofthe four-cycle type, and

embodies the three cylinders A, B, and C, in which 0 erate the pistons 1. The cylinders and ajacent cooperating parts are all substantially of the same structure, generally as eaking, and one only will therefore. be

ascribed at this time. The piston 1 of each cylinder has its piston-rod 2 connected with a sliding head 3, the latter being connected by a pitman 4\witl1-the crank-shaft 5. Suitable inlet and exaust valves 6 and 7,

respectively, are providedflfor each cylinder,

the exaust valve being operated from a cam shaft 8. The valve 7 has a valve rod 9 operating through a guide 10 and provided with a roller on its lower end with which a cam 8 on the shaft 8 engages in the rotation of said shaft. The valves 6 and 7 are preferably arranged upon one side of the cylinder while upon the opposite side is located a slide valve 11 arranged in a suitable casing 12. ported at its lower end on a rocking arm 14, the latter having a roller arranged to be engaged by a double cam 15 carried by another cam shaft 16. The cam shafts 8 and 16 are provided with gears 17' and 18, respectively, which mesh with an. intermediate gear 19. The gear 19 is in mesh with a gear. 20 applied to the crank-shaft 5, and the shafts 8 and 1 6 are therefore driven from the crank-shaft.

The valve 11 has a valve-r0d 13 sup- A spring 21 normally tends to force the valve-rod 9 to the limit of its downward movement, and a similar spring 22 cooperates with the valve-rod 13 in a similar manner. The valve-casin 12 is provided with an exhaust port 23 eading therefrom and the lower end of the cylinder is provided with a port 24 leading to the casing 12. The valve 11 is an ordinary slide valve such as commonly employed on steam-engines and is adapted to connect the port 24 and the exhaust port 23 in an obvious manner, when the pressure medium receivedin the lower end of the cylinder exhausts therefrom on the down stroke of the piston 1.

It is tobe noted that when the engine is going ahead the cam-shafts 8 and 16 rotate in the same direction as the crank-shaft and the valvesll in the casings 12 of the cylinders move up and down with the pistons 1.

3 Extending from a compressed air reservoir 25 is an air pipe 26 from which lead branches '27 by which the air is supplied to the valve stroke thereof to force the same upwardly, as

will be readily apparent. 11 operate constantly while the engine s going, in order to supply the compressed air to, the lower end of the cylinders at the proper time and it will be seen that the arrangement The slide valves of the parts is such that the air acting upon movement of the shaft 16 shifts the cams 15 the pistons 1 does not in any way interfere carried thereby, which cooperate to actuate with the operation of the pistons by the exthe slide valves 11. The slot 39 is of such a plosion of the explosive mixture received in length that by moving the lever to the limit 5 the upper ends of the cylinders at proper of its movement in either direction, a one- 70 intervals. In other words, in the present third revolution of the shaft 16 and its cams invention the combined forces derived from is caused. exploding the explosive mixture in one end A sparker 41 is provided for each cylinder of the cylinders, and admitting compressed and is'opcrated by a roll 42 and eccentric 43,

air at the oppositecnd of the cylinders, are I the latter being carried by the shaft 16. It 7 utilized in driving the pistons, such forces will be obvious, therefore, that any adjustacting inopposite directions in the manner merit. of the cams by shifting of the lever describeduith obvious resultant advantages. 35. when the shaft 16 is rotating or not. r0-

Leading downwardly from the lower end tating, will also cause adjustment of the 15 of the cylinder C is a pipe 28 which extends eccentrics 43 which operate the sparking 80 upwardly to a small valve casing 29 arranged mechanism. adjacent to the outer side of said cylinder C. The engine is started by admitting coni- In the'length of the pipe 28 is an auxiliary air pressed air to one of the cylinders, said air inlet 30 normally closed by a valve 31. In acting upon the lower side of the piston the casing 29 is an upwardly opening check therein to give the necessary initial rotation 85 valve 32. Thepiston in the cylinder C is to the crank-shaft. The air acting upon the employed as a pump for charging the reserlower sides of the pistons leaves the upper voir with compressed air. In other words, sides of said pistons free to be acted upon by thecylinder C and its piston 1 perfornithc explosion of the explosive mixture. In an 25 function of a pump, virtually, for the above engine of the type shown and described it 90 purpose. The casing 29 is connected by a will be apparent that the same may be pipe 33 with the pipe 26. Handles 31 and started or reversed from any position at 32 are provided for the valves 31 and. 32, which it may stop. In the position of the respectively, and when said handles are adparts as shown in Fig. 2 the crank-shaft 5 is 'usted so as to occupy the positions shown in turning in the direction of the arrow and the 9 ig. 3, on the up stroke of the piston of the cam-shaft 16 is of course moving in the same cylinder C air will be drawn into the lower direction. Should it be desired to reverse portion of'said cylinder through the inlet 30. the engine the lever would be operated so On the down stroke of said piston the valve as to shift the shaft 16 to the right and this 35 31 closcs and the air previously drawn into would effect rotary movement of the shaft 100 the lower portion of the cylinder C will be and the cams 15 and vary the relative posiforced through the pipe 28 byvthe checktions ofthe valves 11 and the pistons 1. The valve 32, through the pipes 33 and 26, into slide valve 11 shown in Fig. 2. for instance, the reservoir 25. Whenever the reservoir 25 would be thrown into a position fully opening is sufliciently charged with compressed air the exhaust of the cylinder adjacent thereto, 105 the handles 31 and 32 maybe so adjusted and the adjustment of the valves 11 will be that the stem portions ou age and hold the such as to' cause the engine to be reversed. valves 31 and 32 positive y closed. Under Theivotal support of the lever 35 is a shaft such conditions the cylinder C and its'piston 47, s iown most clearly in Fig. 4 of the drawa; will no longer pump the air to the reservoir ings, said shaft connecting the lever with the 110 25. A throttle-valve 34 is located between link 36. On the end of the shaft 47 opposite the pipe 27 connected with cylinder A and that carrying the lever 35 is an arm 35 the point where the pipe 33 joins the pipe 26. which is connected with the shaft 8 by means At one end of the engine is provided a substantially the same as the connecting de shifting lever 35 having a link connection 36 vices between the lever 35 and the shaft 16. at its lower end with the frame of the engine A link 36 corresponding to the link 36 conand suitab y connected between its ends, as nects the frame of the engine with the end of shown at 37 with one end of the cam-shaft the shaft 47 adjacent to the arm 35. It will 16. A pin 38 projects from the shaft 16 into a be apparent that on operation of thelever 35,

spiral slot 39 formed in the hub of the gear the arm 35 will be simultaneously operated, 120 18. The gear '18 is held for rotation in the and this means the shafts 8 am 16 are l same plane as the gear with which it meshes shifted the same time, when the lever 35 is by means of a bracket 40, the shaft 16, howj moved, thereby varying the positions of the ever, being longitudinally movable through i cams 3 am '15 with respect to the valves the gear 18 when the lever 35 is moved either to the right or left. Movement of the ,shaft 16 longitudinally varies the relative is claimed as new, is:

position of said shaft, when rotating or not In an explosive engine, the combination of rotating,'with respect to the positions of the a plurality of cylinders, pistons mounted gear 13, crank-shaft 5, and pistons 1. Such l therein, a crank shaft connected with said Having thus described the invention, what.

operated thereby. 12 r' pistons, exhaust and inlet valve mechanism,

operating means for said valve mechanism, a compressed air reservoir, valve casings applied-to .the cylinders and communlcatlng therewith at the lower endsthereof, an air pipe connecting the reservoir W1th said valve casings, slide valves controlling the admis- $1011 of compressed alrfrom the valve casings to the cylinders, sparking mechanism for .ex-

ploding explosive charges in the upper ends I of the cylinders, a cam shaft operably connected with the crank shaft for actuation thereby, cams carried-by said crank shaft and arranged to operate the slide valves, 5 connections between said cam shaft and the exhaust valve mechanism, a shifting lever for .efiecting longitudinal movement of the cam shaft, and means including a pin and slotdevice for varymg the relative positlons of the cam shaft with respect to the pistons 2.

on longitudinal movement of said shaft, whereby the slide valves and sparking mechanism are adjusted, to start or reverse the en me.

n testimony whereof I afiix my signature 25 

